Separable fastener



Jan. 15,1935, w. L. GILMOR'E y 1,988,419

l SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed Febfs, 19:52

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J6. INVENToR.

` W,llamL.a1more 3f BY Jaw' T ATTO EY Patented Jan. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES lPMENT ori-ica SEPARABLE FASTENER William L. Gilmore, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Hookless Fastener Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania I Application February s, isaavsenai No. 590,695

9 claims. (ci. 24-205) 410 time and many locking devices more or less satisfactory have been invented and a few of them have been introduced into commercial fasteners. An object of my invention is to provide an I improved slider retaining or lockingdevice which 15 shall not be prohibitive in cost of manufacture and which shall be simple and easily operated. In carrying out my invention the slider carries -a laterally movable portion adapted in one position to engage one or more of the fastener 2o elements and hold the slider in the desired position. The position of the locking member is controlled preferably by the pull tab customarily used for shifting the slider in opening and closing the fastener. 25 Other objects and advantages of theinvention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration, two embodiments which my invention may assume in practice. In

' 30 the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of -a slide fastener embodying myv invention; y Y

Fig. 2 is any enlarged view of the slider with the slider in unlocked position; 35 Fig. 3 is a sectional view in line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4- of Fig. 1 showing the slider in locked position; Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a modif-led construction;

`4o Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on line Vii--G of Fig. 5 showing the locked position; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the unlocked position.

. The fastener illustrated comprises a pair ofl 45 iiexible stringers 8 and 9 having cooperating series of multiple interlocking fastener elements 10 and 11 respectively attached to the adjacent edges of said stringers, each element having a jaw or The slider 14 comprises upper and lower wings 1 5 56 and 16 having inturned flanges 17 and 18 respectively, disposed outside of the rows of interlocking elements, said wings being integrally connected at the rear end ofthe slider by a reinforcing stiff fened neck portion 19. 'I'he upper wing 15is split along a longitudinal line to form movable side 5 sections 21 and 22 which are flexibly connected to the body of the slider `and normally sprung `so as to hold the wing sections spread apart.

These wing sections as seen in Fig. 4, are movable laterally, that is, inwardly toward each other, lo and when so moved, the flanges 17 bind' against .the jaw ends 12 of the fastener elements on opposite stringers, and act as a friction brake which effectively locks the sliderin the desired position. In order to force the wing sections, tol5- ward each other, I preferably utilize the pull member 23, which is attached to the slider by a lug 24 on the top` wing, said lug having recesses 25 and 26 in which the pivot extensions 27 and 28 are engaged. In this instance, the top wing 20 being split centrally along the longitudinal line 20, this lug 24is also split into two sections each 'of which is joined to itsvrespective wing section.

At the forward end of the slider these lug sections are formed with lateral extensions '29 and 25 30 constituting upstanding cam lugs having inclined cam surfaces 31 and 32. It will now be noted that the pull member has an opening 33 adjacent the pivot extensions 27 and 28 and the` side edges 34 and 35 of 4this opening ride over 30 the inclined cam surfaces 31 and 32respectively when the pull is pushed down against the slider.

It is now believed that the operation of thedevice lwill'be readily apparent in view of the abovedescription. During normal4 operation of' .$5 the slider in opening and closing the fastener, the operator lifts the pull member' 23 and in closing the fastener the pull shifts to the rear end of the track lug 24. When opening the. fastener the pull shifts to the-opposite end .of 4o thetrack, lug while the pivot extensions 27 and '28 are guided into the recesses 25 and 26. when it isl desired to lock the slider in positiony NOW 'at any point along the stringers in closed position,- the pull as usual is pushed down against the slider and during this movement, the side surfaces 34 and 35 of the opening will ride over the inclined surfaces 31 and 32 and pull in the wing sections toward each other, thus clamping the side anges 17 securely against the jaw ends 50 12 ofthe fastener elements.

' In Figs 5, 6 and 7 there is illustrated Vanother modification of my invention. Instead of the slider being split down the middle a separate locking member 36 kis mounted for sliding mon- 55,

of interlocking elements as illustrated in Fig. 'l and adapted to enter a recess 38 in the side of the slider and engagebetween a pair of adjacent.-

fastener elements to lock the slider positively in position. The locking member may be held in placeby any suitable means such as the tabs 39 which may be stamped out of the slider wing. The locking member has an upward extension providing an inclined cam surface 40 and a recess on its inner surface for receiving a coiled spring 41 which moves the locking member in the Aoutward direction. The inner edge of the opening 33 rides over the cam surface 40 and pulls the locking member inwardly in much the same manner as described in the first embodiment.

As a result of my invention, it will be observed that a novel type of locking device has been de- Vised in which a locking member on the slider moves sidewise or laterally into or out of engagement with the fastener elements. In this way, the locking engagement can take place at the jaw end of the fastening elements where they are anchored but the invention is not necessarily limited to such engagement.

While I have in this application specifically described two embodiments which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that these embodiments are merely for the purpose.

of illustration and description and that various other forms'may be devised within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

lWhat I claim as my invention is:

l. A slide fastener comprising in combination a pair of exible supporting members disposed in a common plane, a row of interlocking elements attached to each member, and` a slider movable along the members and adapted to interlock and separate the rows,l the slider including means for locking it in a desired location along the members, said means including a locking element normally disposed outside of the attaching ends of one of said rows of elements and movable in a plane parallel to the supporting members toward 'and away from the elements to selectively lock and unlock the slider on the elements.

2. A slide fastener comprising in combination a pair offlexible supporting members disposed Y in a-common plane, a row of interlocking elements attached to each member, a slider movable along the members and adapted to interlock and' separate the rows, and a pull member for operating the slider, the slider including means for locking it in a desired location along the members, said means including a locking element normally disposed outside of the attaching ends of l one of said rows of elements and operable by said pull member in 'a plane parallel to the supporting members and being movable toward and away from the elements to selectively lock and unlock the slider on the elements. f l

3. A slide fastener comprising in combination a pair of exible supporting members disposed in a common plane, a row of interlocking elements attached to eachmember, and a slider movable along the members and adapted to inter,

lock and'separate the rows, the slider'including alocking element having a frictionsurface normally located outside of the attaching ends of one of said rows of elements movable in a plane parallel to the vsupporting members to engage the elements frictionally, to selectively lock and unlock the slider on the elements.

4. A slide fastener comprising in combination a pair of flexible members disposed in a common plane, a row of interlocking elements attached to each member, a slider movable along the members and adapted to interlock and separate the rows, a pull member carried by the slider for Aactuating the same, the slider including means ers, fastener elements attached to said stringers,

a slider movable along the stringers for progressively engaging and disengaging the same, said slider comprising two opposed wings adapted to travel on opposite sides of the fastener elements,

means for 4joining said wings, and inturnedI flanges formed on the side edges of said wings for engaging the attached, ends of the fastener elements to guide them in and out of the slider, one of said wings being split longitudinally from a point adjacent 4the wing connecting means to the front end of the slider whereby the split portions ot the wings are yieldable laterally relative to one another, and means for forcing said split wing sections toward each other to cause'frictional engagement between the guide anges on said wing and the attached ends of the fastener elements.

6. A slide fastener comprising in combination a pair of flexible supporting members disposed in a common plane, a row of interlocking elements attached to each member,` a slider movable along the members and adapted to interlock and sep` arate -the rows, said slider including a locking element movable in a plane parallel to the supporting members toward and away from the elements to selectively lock and unlock the slider on the elements, a spring for actuating the locking element in one carried by the slider for actuating same, said pull tab being'adapted to actuate the locking element in the opposite direction.

'1. A slide fastener comprising in combination a pair of exible supporting members disposed in a common plane, a. row of interlocking elements attached to each member, a slider mov-V able along the members adapted to interlock and separate the rows, and a'pull member for operating the slider, the sliderv including means cluding a locking element movable in a plane,l

parallel to the supporting members and a pull member carried by said slider and movable in a direction transverse to the plane of the supporting members, said pull and locking element being so constructed and interrelated that the direction, and a pull tab transverse movement o! the pull member moves the locking element parallel to the'plane of the supporting members.'

9. A slide fastener comprising in combination apair of flexible supporting members disposed `in a common plane, a row of spaced interlocking elements attached to each member, a slider movable along the members and adapted to interlock and separate the rows, the slider including a 10 locking element movable in aplane'parallel to the supporting members into and out of the spaces between the elements in a row to selectively lock and unlock the slider on the elements and a pull member carried by the slider, movable in a.

direction transverse to the plane of the supporting members, said locking element and pull mem- WILLIAM L. GILMORE. 

